TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD FORCED TO DITCH ICONIC SHIRT NUMBER IF HE JOINS REAL MADRID

Throughout his entire club career, Trent Alexander-Arnold has only ever worn number 66, but the 26-year-old will have to choose a new number if he joins Real Madrid in the summer. If he moves from Liverpool to Real Madrid this summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold will have to choose a new number. 

Alexander-Arnold’s current Liverpool contract is due to expire at the end of June, and it has been widely reported that he has already a deal in principle to join Real. Speculation over his future – and those of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – has been rife all season, with all three running down their contracts. Real have been courting Alexander-Arnold for months and want him to join his England teammate Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital to become the successor to Dani Carvajal at right-back. 

Real saw a £20 million offer rejected in the January transfer window but have now succeeded in agreeing to a five-year deal worth around £12.5 million a year for the 26-year-old. One aspect that Alexander-Arnold will have to change is his shirt number, with his iconic No. 66 not allowed in La Liga. He has worn No. 66 since starting out in the academy at Liverpool, despite wearing No. 2, No. 7, No. 8 and No. 10 for England. The strict rules also prevent teams from retiring shirt numbers in honour of club legends like Lionel Messi at Barcelona or Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. The only players allowed to wear shirt numbers above No. 25 are youth players, who do not have to be registered in the same way as adults. As a result, he will have to find a new number. 

During this Real campaign, for instance, Raul Asencio has been permitted to wear No. 35. Currently, the only vacant shirt numbers available at Real are No.12, No.24 and No.25. Alexander-Arnold is yet to make his decision public, but the wheels appear to be in motion for his departure, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot reportedly looking at Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong to replace him at right-back. Speaking in October, Alexander-Arnold stated he wants to win the Ballon d’Or and be considered as the best right-back to ever play the game. Asked how he’d like to be thought of in 20 years’ time, he replied, “A legend of football. Someone who changed the game – that’s the main thing that I have: ‘Don’t play the game, change the game.’“ So that’s the legacy I want to have: being the greatest right-back to ever play football, if I’m honest. I know that there’ve been so many out there, but I’ve got to reach for the stars, and that’s where I believe my ceiling can go.”